It's our love (it transcends time)
by The Interference
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Bakugou Kei has been caught in a game he doesn't understand. With mysterious kidnappings, a Villain organization, saving his father from the ultimate evil and navigating the secret of his other parent's name, he's been thrust into the middle of the danger. Discovering himself and trying protecting his future. A character study done in parts.
1. Chapter 1

Kei is in kindergarten when he first hears it.

 _"His father is an awesome Hero," the resident leader kid explains to his followers. Kei hates them so much yet can't for the life of him remember just why they deserved it. "So we gotta get him to our group. He can show us how to be a Pro!"_

When he couldn't, he paid the price.

That had been his first and only setback.

* * *

One of his earliest memories is a taboo thought, something conjured out of shameful secrets.

He had said to Izuku, fearful, that he would never be a hero.

 _"I don't want to be a Hero…"_

 _Izuku, his dad, had held a bemused light in his spring green eyes. They had been so soft, so gentle, so understanding. Kei was glad. His classmates, his teachers, other parents; all convinced that his destiny laid in greatness._

 _They were wrong._

 _Katsuki had been blunt. He usually is. Kei doesn't think it'd be a good sign if he ever speaks hushed._

 _"It's a hard path," Katsuki confesses, right after Kei's own confession. "Not everyone is suited to it. Not everyone can make it. Some don't have what it takes. You're a brave kid, Kei, but if you don't want to, nobody in the whole world can force you to become a Hero."_

 _And that had been that._

Life goes on. Kei grows. It's a difficult road he walks, one of normalcy, though he somehow manages with what he has.

With both of his parents prestigious Heroes, people generally look at him, wielding their hopeful eyes like firearms, and say,

 _"He will surely be a great Hero."_

 _'No he fucking won't, you sheep,'_ Kei always thinks as praises spill over their frothing mouths. _'Don't tell me I'm something I'll never be, something I could never be.'_

* * *

Izuku is sometimes late to home.

It's inevitable when your father is the Number One Hero. TV shows fight for an interview with him, reporters and fans alike flock to him like moths to fire. Izuku, and by proxy Kei, is famous.

And he, in his less than optimal state, sometimes wishes his dad really had been Quirkless from his childhood to well into his adulthood. It's a damn terrible thing to wish; he hates himself for it, for wanting something that brought a colossal dismay upon someone he dearly loves. Yet it's how he copes, imagining a reality in which his dad is just another face in the crowd.

Katsuki is more confusing. He is his other dad; however, what does that mean to Kei? Katsuki is often silent when Izuku is not there. In only Kei's presence, he is more somber, more wistful.

( _Kei hopes, so damn much, that he isn't visualizing a son who is less of a disappointment and more of a success. He hopes, he hopes, he fucking hopes and does nothing else because there is nothing he can fucking **do** -_)

But he is a fair parent. Katsuki is the one who majorly sets the routine in the house of Bakugous. Bedtime and meals are all planned - well, as much as they can, what with their hectic schedule. He is also loving, in a rather subtler way than Izuku's style of giving affection. His love shows in his thoughtful gestures, his careful hand as he ruffles Kei's hair while taking care not to form knots. And Izuku only brings out the better in him.

Izuku, though, he is warmth. He is nourishing sunlight, he is a calm forest, he is a cat's blissful purr and so much more. Kei loves him so much he thinks he might just die if Izuku leaves the house one day and never returns.

They're his most precious people in this tiny world consisting of his home, school and yard.

* * *

When he is old enough, Izuku prepares them all a movie night, and sits them through a whole night of All Might marathon.

He knows Izuku is the legend's successor. Even though he has never met the man himself-

( _Kei only remembers him through video calls, a thing of ancient times and long buried in the distant past. The only remains are a weary voice and a golden sheen. All Might receives treatment in Europe, not Japan._ )

-he is aware that Izuku views him as his own personal hero. Katsuki seems to get it, even if Kei doesn't. It's alright. He isn't old enough to know. It's a thing belonging to their past.

( _He knows they would tell if he asked. He just doesn't. He doesn't feel he belongs to that time._ )

* * *

Kei is cleaning during after hours at his school when the news come in.

" _It seems like a regular encounter between Deku and an unknown Villain,_ " the news anchor informs. Kei keeps sweeping the polished marble floor, like a mindless zombie. He can never help but listen in when these channels are open. At home, Katsuki keeps track of them through his phone, not the television. But here Kei doesn't have a censor at all that'd spare him the gruesome details. Every shot of the fight is in 4K quality and unobstructed. He hates it. He wishes his dad wasn't a Hero.

( _He just wants him to come back home._ )

" _Oh, oh my, is that-_ "

And as Kei turns around to sweep the corner, his eyes connect with the TV's shine.

And his heart stops.


	2. (yzma voice) which one, which one

The broom lies desolate in the empty classroom, the news anchor's shaky voice provides a buzzed sort of white noise.

Outside the grey walls is a classic city view. Musutafu is a relatively peaceful place on a normal day.

Today isn't a normal day.

Kei is running because he might be too late and because he can't bring himself to just _sit back and do nothing while Izuku- while_ ** _he_ **_..!_

Images flit back and forth through his mind like a film roll. Everything, from the trembling growls of the vehicles to the crowd's collective voice seem faded like a monochrome rainbow. It's wrong. And it's muted. This isn't how it's supposed to be.

' _Of course it isn't! Izuku could be dead any second and- and._ ** _AND..!_ **_'_

What is he thinking.

* * *

Kei is a defenseless civilian. He has a personal relationship with the Heroes in the fight and the Villain is most likely aware of him and his possible uses.

He has all the characteristics of an ideal hostage.

He has to stay back.

' _If only Izuku wasn't..!'_

Never has he wished so fervently that Izuku would just release a Villain than this one. Izuku isn't thinking.

He is just trying to save everyone.

' _Even at the expense of his own life? For such a trivial Villain? They got lucky and landed a hit.'_

Yeah. A hit to his fucking **_HEAD_ **!

"Young man," booms across the driveway and Kei startles. It's a burly policeman in a blue uniform. Kei notices there are police cars dotted along the whole street, leading the onlookers away.

"It's not safe," the man continues, ignorant to the growing panic inside of the young boy. "Here, this way! We are evacuating the area."

"The area?" Kei latches onto the word like a starved leech, sucking out anything of use. "The area, you said? But wasn't it just a petty Villain? Wasn't it easy..?"

The officer shrugs, his nervous demeanor betraying his reliable-cop façade. "Hell if I know," he remarks a bit dismissively. "But seems the Heroes made a mistake and now things are all in chaos."

Kei is interrupted in the middle of the fucking conversation as an abyssal shadow passes above their heads. The officer and he look up, apprehensive.

It's a fucking boot. A giant fucking boot flying over the concrete buildings and falling right into the lap of the city center.

Kei doesn't wait for the policeman's cries. He runs to his father.

' _Don't be dead. Don't be fucking dead. You can't leave me, not like this..!'_

* * *

 _Kei remembers the time he had caught his father awake at night, rewinding a video repeatedly._

 _"I've always been a fan of this," he tells Kei that time, welcoming him in his arms on the couch. Kei nuzzles closer to see the laptop's screen._

 _"You can watch if you want to," Izuku offers. Gentle. Always gentle. Kei is intrigued, of course he is going to watch._

 _Rewinding stops. 'Play Video.'_

 _"Oh God," Kei hears a man whimper, taking in the destruction and rampage of the attack. "He has already saved so many..!"_

 _And a movement from behind the flaming wreckage. A golden sheen, a luminous blue; relieved gasps, bursting hope._

 _"It's him..!"_

 _"IT'S ALRIGHT," the man yells at the desperate crowd. "WHY?"_

 _Kei notices then that Izuku is forming the phrase with his mouth, a mere whisper in contrast to All Might's strong shout,_

 _"_ ** _BECAUSE I AM HERE!"_ **

* * *

Kei hadn't been there to help.

He couldn't. He wasn't a Hero.

That doesn't make it any less shameful for him.

And so, when he arrives, it is to the sight of Deku with his ripped costume and green hair stained black with blood.

" **_DAD!_ **"

He lunges at the stretcher with supernatural speed, almost rattling the thing when he grasps the edge.

"Dad, dad! Izuku, are you awake..? _Are you awake.?!_ "

"Kid," the rugged nurse calls, a hand falling on his shoulder. "Leave the guy to rest. Let's go inside the car. We'll see what we can do."

* * *

Kei hates waiting.

"Ya know," the man starts. His voice is surprisingly smooth and clear. "Head wounds bleed a lot, usually. He probably just fell unconscious from a concussion, it's most likely just so he could be treated faster that the agency called the emergency line."

It doesn't relieve the tight knot wound inside Kei's chest.

The man continues regardless,

"So tell me, does your old man do this kinda thing a lot? Man, that's so irresponsible. Who loses to an amateur Villain?"

"Shut up," Kei disrupts the one-sided conversation. He is fuming with so much anger; the nerve of this guy, insulting his father right in front of him..!

At least he seems to have realized his mistake.

"Ah, well," he pauses awkwardly. "Sorry. Just wanted to lighten the air."

Kei's unforgiving focus stays with the man for the whole ride to the hospital.

* * *

Kei sees Katsuki (attempting) running along the corridor to the room Izuku's receiving treatment.

"Fucking hell, get the fuck out of my fucking way!"

"Dad," he calls out tiredly. "I'm here!"

"Kei? Thank _fuck-"_ He collides with him at a high speed and Kei stumbles with an armful of Pro Hero. "-thank fuck. Thank fuck. That's good. You're safe. I was…" Kei can't see anything but he can still feel the trembling gaps escaping Katsuki without his knowledge. "I was so fucking worried. I got called and they said you were there, with _Izuku,_ and I was so _afraid..!_ "

Kei feels his father's chin digging into his scalp, he doesn't move away. Hugging back just as hard, he whispers,

"Me too."

He doesn't know if he meant for Katsuki or Izuku.

* * *

It's dark.

It's wrong. This shouldn't have been. And now the feeling of being out of place sweeps over him like a wave. He shouldn't be here.

 ** _No._ **

It's not him. Something is wrong. It's all so _wrong._

 ** _It's not him who is displaced. It's_** ** _THEM_ ****_-_ **

Kei lunges up, muscles tense with adrenaline and _fearfearfearfear_ ** _FEAR-_ **

"Today's kids. So energetic. Don't you have anything better to do?"

And it's _then_ he realizes, because all his limbs from the curve of his neck to the slope of his calves are bound firmly unmoving.

There is a mish-mash of cotton in his mind, colors and shapes blur together; where is he? What happened? _What?_

"I must say, though," the voice continues. It raises goosebumps on his arms (It's cold here, freezing like the frozen prawns Dad got for dinner before-) it's shivering. Even with his clouded mind he can clearly see through the forced calm of his abductor.

 _Excited. Simply_ ** _delightfully_** _excited. And it makes it hard to breathe-_

 ** _(breathe just breathe just breathe slow slow slow slow bREATHE AND BREATHE-)_ **

There's no escaping this with a few cheap tricks.

"I just _love_ how clever you're. You know I'm dangerous don't you," the man appears from behind him. Kei's facing the Villain now, yet he can't identify the guy. The man takes a hold of his chin and forces his head back against the hardened bonds. Kei lets out a frightened yelp and feels his eyes burn with his neck.

 _'You'll break it!'_

 ** _"Hmm," his kidnapper hums confusedly. "You'll do. Prime candidate. Keep it up, boy. Keep being stuck."_ **

He lets go like the thought of touching him is repulsive, Kei hears his neck crack as it falls back down.

' _Hurts.'_ Kei tries to look at the room through the veil of pain. It's dark, so _dark._ How could _he_ see anything? ' _I'm scared.'_

In a moment's notice, the bonds securing him were tightened to an agonizing degree, the friction burning his skin beneath clothing. It chafes deep and mercilessly. Kei stays as still as he can be, the least he could do was try to prevent rope burns.

" _Where,_ " he rasps but he can't talk. It's too dry-

( _How long has it been? Hours?_ ** _Days?_ **)

( **_Where are Katsuki and Izuku-_ **)

-his throat aches. But he needs to talk. He needs to distract. For as long as possible.

( **_Before he's a dead empty husk in the morgue-_ **)

"Where did you take me," he asks with what little voice he has now.

He was… He had been in the hospital, just sitting down, waiting for his fathers to come back. Then…

 _Then what?_

"Somewhere close," the man replies, with a voice of resolve and confidence. Kei knows of Villains, he knows of petty criminals; but he knows that a man who is both confident and clever enough to swipe him in the middle of daylight, that's a dangerous one.

Somewhere close. Somewhere dark. Somewhere without noise.

 _Somewhere close-_

It's a start. It's a hope. It's kind of _stupid_ but-

If it's close, they can reach him.

Breathing comes a little easier. The cloud in his mind disperses, even though his view is still askew.

 ** _"Have hope, kid," the Villain coos at his locked form. "You might see your parents sooner than you think."_ **


	3. its too early for updates but nah

It's quiet for a while. Then it's not. The monster begins speaking.

It's unnerving.

"I figured you'd be someone worthwhile," the man says.

A chair's legs rubbing against the floor. _(It's pretty quiet. The chair is wooden, the floor isn't. Maybe marble? If it had been a carpet it wouldn't have made that noise at all-)_

 _(He needs to get out fast.)_

"Why the silence? _Smile,_ aren't you happy you are away from your parents for once?" The Villain audibly grins; it's an ugly, _ravenous_ sound. It makes Kei shiver and want to spew his stomach out.

"You know," he continues. He can see the subtle silhouette of an appendage hover in front of him. It comes closer, then he realizes it's the kidnapper's hand. He jerks away despite his bonds, yet it caresses his cheekbone. "I have done this before."

Kei can't help the shuddering intake of air, a panicked gasp. He tries to move away from that _disgusting_ hand, _the hand that_ ** _dares_ **_touch him-_

 _"_ Oh yes, you could say I'm a Pro in my field." He chuckles. It's entirely out of place in this situation, like a silly scene in the chaos of a nightmare. Suddenly, Kei doesn't want to gather information anymore; he doesn't want to hear anything. He wants to keep sitting in the dead of silence.

 _(He needs to press his hands to his ear. He doesn't know why, but he_ ** _needs to_ **_-)_

"I'll take good care of you, just relax. It's really not that horrible, _the Change._ It'll feel like floating. So trust me-" he leans over and Kei can make out the wisps of curly dark hair in the darkness. His gaze is met by a pair of shadowed eyes.

 _(Kei's frozen. He can't move. He can't take his gaze off of those terrible,_ ** _terrible_** _eyes.)_

 _(He's being tortured.)_

 _"-_ and **_listen_** **_to my song_**."

* * *

 _The first time he meets the original Class-A is right after he develops his Quirk._

 _Their eyes shine so bright. So lively, so lovely. They're happy for him._

 ** _Why?_ **

_He's as good as someone Quirkless. He is no hero, after all._

 _He could never be. He tried. Look at what happened._

 ** _Disappointing._ **

_If you don't try you won't get to fail. That's enough for Kei. It's enough._

 _(He_ ** _fears_ **_-)_

* * *

-and for some reason, he **_lives_ **.

And it's such a _nightmare,_ such a fall into _disgrace_. His head almost exploding to bits, he clamps down, but he **_screams._ **

_Give up, why don't you? You've failed so far, you can't even bring yourself to_ ** _try_** _anymore..! What_ ** _use_** _is it-_

 _He was found in the playground after school, I think he's being bullied-_

 _Pathetic! You couldn't even save me! What kind of hero are you?! You must not be a hero_ ** _at all-_ **

_Get up, get up, get up! Punch him, kick him, scream for help! Do whatever, but_ ** _don't let him escape!-_ **

_._

 _.._

 ** _Failure._ **

**_Weak._ **

**_Disappointment._ **

**_Pathetic._ **

_Oh wait._

 _.._

 _._

 ** _It's me._ **

* * *

When he floats out of his trance, he finds his face drying up under a mask of viscous fluid. It's spread on his cheeks, run down his neck, and settling comfortably on his shirt.

He lifts up an arm, and glances.

Red.

Red like the wild roses down that river.

Red like **_blood._ **

And he knows he should cry out, he should flinch away, but he's tired, _god,_ ** _so tired._** He can't bring himself to even close his mouth, so ridden numb with exhaustion.

He lays back down. Closes his eyes. He wants to sleep for eternity. He swims in a fuzzy fog, lost.

 _He wants the find a way out._

' _Do I want to stay here,'_ he wonders to himself. It's exhausting, even thinking. But he does it anyway. He wants to _._

He lays thinking under the stars.

In silence, comes clarity. Comes a clear head. He understands. He loves company, but he _needs_ silence.

Then he remembers.

' _How did I escape the Villain?'_ He wants to stand up and find answers.

 _Then you need to_ **wake up** _, my boy._

It's a vile, truthful whisper. He tries not to listen.

He does anyway.

 ** _Wake up._ **

He floats up, up and up. He breaks the surface.

 ** _Breathe._ **

* * *

_(He had thought the Villain had been torturing him-)_

 _(But who had been tortured really?)_

* * *

Bakugou Kei wakes up to a shadow falling over his face.

"Kid," the tower grumbles above his concussion-addled body. "The fuck are you doing on UA grounds?"

Kei stares mouth dangling open, his gaze empty like frosted glass.

Because he must be in a weird dream, and so far this is the weirdest one because Grandpa Aizawa is standing there.


	4. Meat is back on the menu, bedelia

_Bakugou Kei remembers his childhood by the complex, combined smells of spicy katsudon, silicone fumes, wool and chocolate cake. Fresh fragrance of trees, damp earth, petrichor and sunshine._

 _They're his happy memories._

 _Among all these, his earliest and most loved remembrance is of Katsuki singing him to sleep._

 _"Somewhere, a voice calls, in the depths of my heart; may I always be dreaming, the dreams that move my heart," his father croons, lips turned up from the corners. "So many tears of sadness, uncountable through and through-"_

 ** _"- I know on the other side of them I'll find you."_ **

* * *

"You don't know," Aizawa plays back Kei's own response. "You appeared on UA grounds literally out of nowhere and _you don't know how."_

"Yeah, pretty much." He knows he is not making it easier on them.

( _He knows. But he's afraid. This is new. What if it's the Villain's scheme? If Kei lowered his guard, he could **die-**_ )

But he's had the worst day of his life, and now the only thing he wants is to see his fathers safe and happy and _back home, where **Kei** is also supposed to be._

( _It feels **wrong...!**_ )

"Look, sir-" He swallows thickly, eyes darting around like a pair of pinballs. He feels the cold sweat drenching his back, feels the shiver raising goosebumps on skin. He tries to pick back up his sentence, but it's lost to the empty air now.

' _Should I,'_ he panics. Would hiding be more beneficial? Aizawa wouldn't believe him - hell, right now _Kei_ couldn't believe himself. But what good would it do? House arrest? Execution senten- God fucking _damn it_ Kei, you moron! Of _course_ they wouldn't execute a child!

(But _would they._ )

"I know that- that you aren't going to believe me but…" He inhales shakily. "My name is Bakugou Kei, I was recently kidnapped by a Villain. Right now I'm too relieved that I'm out of his hands to think about how I escaped."

* * *

Kei doesn't know what he expected, but it sure as hell wasn't _this._

 _'When I get back, Ojii-san, I'm going to blackmail you so hard. You'll pay for this.'_

"Welcome the new temporary addition to the class-" He blanches at the young, soft faces of the Heroes he knows. It feels like he's being butchered in a mixer and poured into a slimy milkshake. Like he's seeing everything through a veil of unreality, a shade of dreamy quality. "-This is Bakugou Kei, resident Bakugou's future kid, so treat him well or you'll get extra assignments."

"…"

"Eh-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH," the students burst out, their eyes wide like medals and jaws hanging free in awe. Kei flinches at the sudden shift in attention. _(He hates that, hates being right in the middle of the fucking spotlight-)_

"Like, like – a legit time traveler?!" Kirishima yells, gaping at Aizawa and Kei alternatively. "Woah-"

Kaminari pushes him out of the way and screeches, "YOU AREN'T IN KANSAS ANYMORE, DOROTHY!"

Kei wants to laugh but he also wants to break down and sob. It's an uncomfortable combination of joy and amusement and helplessness, because he's home. Yes, he's home.

 ** _But it's not his home._ **

Home was left back in the midst of Villain abductions and hospital corridors.

And all of a sudden, the sound is amplified a thousand times, everyone wrestling towards him for a chance of conversation. Kei's throat locks up and then, and then – _he stops breathing for a second_ –

Until Aizawa's capture weapon creates a barrier between them and the hungry wolves of Class 1-A.

"Back off and pipe down," he threatens, hair upright and eyes red like the-

 _(Erase. Clean. Wash off. Delete. Erase the memory, there's nothing-)_

He waits for the teens to settle down to their seats.

And that's when Kei realizes.

There are two empty desks.

' _Dad?'_

* * *

 _"Bakugou has been kidnapped by the League of Villains," Aizawa informs. "The Pros are collaborating with the police for his rescue. So far, we have no leads. But if you are who you say you are…"_

 _He eyes him with suspicion dancing in his eyes._

 _"Then there might be hope yet."_

* * *

 _He overhears them while going downstairs for a glass of water. Katsuki's cut off sobs echo throughout the corridor._

 _"Kacchan," Kei hears Izuku whisper. "It's over Kacchan. You're safe. I'm with you. Kei is in his room; the League of Villains have been taken down."_

 _A soft smooch, by the sound._

 _" **We saved you, Kacchan. Come back to me. Take my hand**."_

* * *

"Bakugou," Kei hears, a firm command. "Take the closest seat. No talking. I need to make an announcement."

He nods, moving to the desk at the front. He just, as he sits cautiously, wishes he couldn't hear the mutterings around him.

" _Dude, Aizawa's kind of ironic. That's Bakugou's place."_

 _'…Oh.'_

"So," Aizawa addresses to the class. They hush down, sitting ramrod straight in wariness. The teacher stares blankly, a defeated aura swirls around him. "Bakugou Katsuki has been kidnapped. Midoriya is with Recovery Girl, undergoing surgery. And now Kid Bakugou has traveled through time right into the lap of this mess."

 _Ah. Why don't you rub salt into the wound._

 _…Why is Dad in surgery?_

"We, as Pro Heroes, are doing are very best to rescue Bakugou from the Villains' clutches. Don't spread this around, who knows which _wrong ear_ will hear it?"

 _'Liar,'_ he snarks deep in his mind. _'You didn't even ask me if I know anything.'_

"But right now, your job is to stay clear of the media and take care of Bakugou's son-" Kei winces a bit, the shudder entirely unexpected but still as repulsive- "- So don't go trying anything funny. I will be keeping my eyes on you all."

He turns his head to Kei's way, tilting it slightly. "Bakugou. You are _not_ to put yourself in any situation that might be dangerous, or risking the revelation of your little mishap. Stay with a member of Class 1-A at all times and keep your origins a secret from anyone else."

…This is so stupid. Because Kei isn't a moron, and he knows what they're doing.

 _Because Aizawa doesn't trust him. Neither do others._

So far, the only reason he isn't being interrogated is because he appeared so suddenly in a time of disarray. With the Villains in possession of a Hero-trainee, the public outrage and parents' cries for justice and compensation, they've obviously been in a tight spot. Kei isn't the focus right now, that's why he has been pushed aside waiting in the queue.

Kei is the wild card. He is a complete unknown in this game of hide-and-seek.

 _'They are **dismissing me** ,' _he realizes, furious with himself for revealing his mysterious problem, and with the adults for deeming him unimportant in the investigation.

He clenches his fists, trying to rein himself in.

 _Quit whining. You knew this would happen. You should have known. It's always the same. Of course they aren't going to take some random psycho teenager seriously._

Breathing in a controlled manner through his nose, he throws a knowing glare at his grandfather figure.

' _I know your plan,'_ he spits out with his gaze. _'I can see through it, I hate you for this. You can't keep me away and useless-'_

Except he is actually useless.

What had he accomplished, running to – _save?-_ Izuku and ending up swiped by a criminal? And now, having fucking _time traveled_ to the distant past, what is he useful for anyway? He doesn't know jack shit about Katsuki and Izuku's past, and everything he knows is just the basic crap.

 _Tough luck, you didn't deign it significant enough to ask about, you ignorant turd._

"…Yes sir."

 _'Motherfucker.'_

* * *

 _Kei had always been, somewhat, **judgmental** of princess tales._

 _Izuku would read one to him every night when he was young. Kei would lie in his bed in anticipation, wondering if **this one** would be the story the princess walked away from the prince, sword in her hand and the bad guy's blood on her hands._

 _It never came._

 _The princess lost._

 _The prince received the spoils of war._

 _And Kei slept through the nights fuming._

 _…_

 _.._

 _._

 _He didn't want to be saved._

 _._

 _.._

 _…_

* * *

Class dismissed.

Kei swallows his fear in, as Kirishima approaches his desk.

"Uh, hey, I'm Kirishima Eijiro. Bakugou's kid, huh?"

Kei wants to sigh. Uncle Kiri, he never changes. Sometimes it grates on his nerves, but for the moment he embraces the demeanor of his awkward uncle.

"Yeah," he answers, curt and tired of all the bullshit. These teenagers are too bright and heroic for his black and exhausted soul. "I'm Kei. Just call me that, please."

Kirishima, bless his joyful spirit, smiles like a fucking angel and laughs.

"You're really like Bakugou, man," he muses, examining him curiously. "Impatient. But kind of polite. The brown hair threw me off, but it suits you. Now that I think-" He gives his face a long hard look. Then eyes widen. "Woah! Your eyes' shape and spiky hair are dead giveaway! That's totally all Bakugou!"

"Uh." It's a bit weird. The resulting silence makes him want to bash his head in.

The others come near one by one, all asking questions.

"Does Bakugou _actually_ marry? I can't see it-"

"Oh hey! Who is Number One Hero?!"

"Who is your mom?"

"Is everyone still there in the future? I mean, _some_ of us must have quit, right?"

" ** _Uh_** ," Kei coughs, voice guttural and deep as he can make it. It stops the students in the middle of their endless litany. "I'm pretty sure I can answer everything if you ask it in a way I can hear it."

Quiet apologies float up in the small crowd and he manages to relax his shoulders a bit. Maybe it won't be so bad?

"Who's your mom, then," a girl with cables in her ears asks. Oh, wait. Shit, that's actually Auntie Jirou? "He's married, isn't he?"

"Oh, yeah-" He grimaces a bit, leaning back. He can practically _hear_ them hang onto his every word. "- But that's-"

He pauses. It dawns on him then.

* * *

 _"We, uh-" Izuku is sitting at the front seat, securing the belt. " -We weren't on the best terms during high school, at least not for the first year."_

 _"Yeah," Katsuki contributes from the driver's seat. Glancing back at Kei, "I was kinda an asshole, to be honest. I thought Izuku was looking down on me."_

 _"Oh, **God**." Izuku groans and smacks his husband's arm. "I still can't believe how you reached that conclusion. What were you smoking, crack?"_

 _"Stop **meme-ing** at me, you damn nerd, because on this road trip we respect the fucking rules-"_

* * *

"- Uh. It's gotta stay a secret."

"EEH? WHY?!"

"Ah- well, because I don't want to risk it! If I said it that'd be terrible!"

* * *

 ** _"Somewhere, a voice calls in the depths of my heart_**

 ** _Keep dreaming your dreams, don't ever let them part."_ **

* * *

_**A.N.: Heya y'all! I've been posting these chapters on AO3, under the moniker Snowy_Rain. If you want to read the bonus chapters 7 and 8, they're only gonna be there. I did a turn there because the events I wrote on those chapters didn't fit the story, but I let them stay because some might like those. Again, if you want to read those too, you need to go to my AO3 account for it.**_


	5. whump here it goes

_ei is drowning in blue, blue, blue._

 _The lovely sky hangs overhead, the shiny breeze plays with the tufts of hair. Wind moves through him, in him, around him. And as he inhales-_

 ** _-in goes the blue, blue, blue._ **

_Drinks the sky._

* * *

Mindlessly waiting in the corridor, Kei is looking for someone to arrive. He needs to know where he's sleeping tonight.

"Everytime we fall to the ground, we look up to the blue sky above," he sings, idle. "We wake to its blueness, as for the first time…"

Than he hears the voices.

 _"I'm telling you, it's a bad idea, Kirishima..!"_

 _"We wouldn't fight though! Think about it! The Pros are gonna handle the battle, we'll just rescue him!"_

 _"You know I can't allow this!"_

 _"Iida-kun is right, Kirishima-kun, we should stay out of this or we would get in the way-"_

 _"I agree with Tsuyu. We shouldn't meddle this time."_

Break time is over.

Work must be done, the show must go on. Kei should either let things play out or involve himself.

 ** _What good is it going to do, you useless piece of flesh?_**

What good would it do.

Kei wonders. Like soup in a blender, his mind spins around. What if he fucks up, like he inevitably does all the time? Would he change history? Would he wake up to a world where Bakugou Katsuki-

 _(Stop right there. How dare you? That's forbidden territory; stay away from the abyss, Kei.)_

 _(_ ** _It will stare back._ **_)_

* * *

 _"I used to wonder," Katsuki mutters, chopping the peppers for dinner. His deft hands work with efficiency and precision, not one cut is wasted. Kei loves watching him cook, it's one of his precious happy memories. "If I could have gone down a different path."_

 _Kei is half-listening. He doesn't know the context, so it's a bit boring even though Katsuki's voice has taken on that solemn tone. He petulantly focuses on the knife and the chopping motions._

 _Up-down-up-down-up-down-_

 _"-Ah, but it's in the past. I guess I'm just lucky I got rescued. Had they not…"_

 _Chopping stops._

 _Kei looks up. Dad's eyes are obscured by his bangs, he can't see a thing._

 _His hands stay settled on the cutting board. He doesn't move to prepare the katsudon._

 _"Daddy?"_

 _"Hm? Oh-" Dad startles, head snapping towards him on the floor. His eyes, they look lost. He looks confused. Why? Kei wasn't doing anything at all._

 _Kei feels like his dad is sad. Could he fix this? He doesn't like this feeling._

 _"Are you sad, Daddy? Do you want Papa? I could shout."_

 _Katsuki blinks, his limbs float at his sides aimlessly for just a moment before he lifts Kei in his arms._

 _"Nah, I'm alright. I'm not that sad," Katsuki assures. Then, hesitating, he buries his face into Kei's wild, soft hair. "I'm just glad you're here, my little explosion."_

 _"I love you too, Daddy!"_

* * *

"I love you, too," Kei whispers to himself, shakily exhaling. Gathering all the courage and determination in his disposal (not that much, honestly-) he goes through the door.

Wishes he hadn't.

Eyes, eyes crawling on him. On his skin, his eyes, his organs and then as a bonus through him like a psychic attack. Breaths already coming up shallow, he resolves to take care of this as soon as possible.

"I'm coming too," he forces out. It doesn't come out how he wants it; he sounds like a scared little girl, trembling yet trying to play the big kid role.

He grinds his teeth together. One grind, two grinds-

"I apologize for my rudeness, Bakugou-san, but I can't allow this!"

"Okay, I'm saying some of us should go, but I agree with Iida, dude. We're supposed to _protect_ you," Kirishima emphasizes, gaze hard like his strong form. "We can't bring you along, you're gonna stay here-"

"LIKE HELL I AM!"

Both he and the class is surprised by the volume of his exclamation. Compared to his earlier speech pattern, it was disconcerting. Out of character.

Kei himself doesn't know what he's doing.

"I-" He stares wide eyed at his family. He feels the words drain back into his throat. He can't speak, can't make a single sound. He guesses he needs to make an explanation now.

It's the least he owes them.

"I've always," he starts, his whole locked up. "I've always wanted to, to be involved. I would be of some use, one way or another. But with this… I can't do anything at all.

"And I know that- that I'm not suited for this, that I'm a liability-"

"Bakugou-"

" **_I know that!_ **_"_ He clenches his fists, tight and sweaty in his bewildered state. "I know I'm unnecessary for this, that everything will be alright; I'm here after all, aren't I?"

He manages a bitter laugh; Aizawa's voice echoes in his skull.

"But I can't _do it._ I can't watch from the sidelines while Katsuki- while _he's_ in danger. So, please-"

He bowes deep and proper. His back coiled like a spring, he can almost feel the tremors run up his frame.

" _\- let me go with you, to save him!_ "

* * *

 _Izuku once cuts his arm open._

 _Meat parts away like roast beef, blood pooling up and spilling out in a moment's notice. Skin seamlessly blending with the dark red._

 _Metallic silver. Sharp knife. It was a kitchen accident. Kei gets those, sometimes. He's clumsy like that. Katsuki isn't. Izuku usually manages to avoid getting hurt if those happen._

 _Just this freak accident, though-_

 _"AAHHHHHHH! PAPA'S GONNA DIE!"_

 _-it shook him up so bad. He couldn't sleep for days after seeing that. Climbing in secret to his parents' bed, trying to supervise Izuku in the kitchen, trying to learn how to use the first aid kit in the bathroom- things like that become commonplace for a while._

 _It abates. Not to the point they disappear, but they get alright. Manageable._

 _(Izuku isn't getting hurt on his watch, not again.)_

 _(_ ** _Never again-_ **_)_

 _Kei gets used to the nightmares of his father's cut-up body. They don't abate much. They come and go, but it's always more intense after Izuku gets into a fight._

* * *

 _"Baby, I tried! But I can't unlove you," they murmur in the small living room. Izuku is carrying Kei, he's pretty light._

 _Katsuki makes a ridiculous pose, punching into the air, "Ya_ ** _know_** _you got your hooks on my soul..!"_

 _"Feels like I'm-" Izuku takes a deep breath and saves his breath, letting out as a Present Mic level screech as he sings. "-DYING..! Slowly, all because you!"_

 _Katsuki's staring at him in unimpressed disbelief and Izuku averts his eyes._

 _"Too much?"_

 _"Too much. I love it. Let's do it again."_

* * *

"He's awake. You can go in, try not to overwhelm him."

 _Ba-dump-_

 _...Ah…_

It's all he can do to keep himself together.

 _'Is he okay? I want to see him, I want to hug him, I want to cry in his embrace,'_ and a jumble of worried thoughts swim around his mind.

"Do I go in?" He can't help but ask. The students turn to him, then glance at each other. Their faces are all hesitant, they don't want to push him too hard in case he blows again.

Kei feels a volcano of lava spurt from his cheeks, they sizzle in hot embarrassment. Humiliation burns fresh and bright like a wound. Why did he have to lose his cool like that? It was a terrible first impression!

"Uh." He scratches the back of his neck. "I'll just wait back there then."

"Ah, Bakugou-"

"Nah, it's… It's alright. It's fine, really- I think it's meant to be this way anyway." He doesn't know for sure. He probably wouldn't ever know, but his gut instinct has never left him astray. He feels he just narrowly dodged a disaster.

"Kei." It's Shouto now, apathetic eyes on his. Their sights lock and Kei shivers inside.

( _Uncle Shouto is Kei's_ ** _favorite_** _uncle. He explains everything to him, talks about weird things no one is willing to discuss. Kei loves listening to him idly muse.)_

 _"_ You don't need to leave if you don't want to," Shouto informs. His unique honesty is what he needs right now. "I have a feeling Midoriya would like to meet you, as he is very kind. Are you sure you want to opt out?"

Kei doesn't really have a choice in this game of butterfly winds.

"I'll… pass."

* * *

 _Bakugou Katsuki is the Number Two Hero._

 _Kei thinks it doesn't really matter since that changes so often. Katsuki flits between Two and One and -once- even Three._

 _Katsuki enjoys the dynamic state of the Hero Ranking system. It keeps him in his toes, creates a challenge to balance out monotone agency work._

 _Izuku doesn't care much. He just loves being a Hero, if he can do it with Kacchan it's only a bonus to him. Who cares about rankings when they hold human lives in the palm of their hand?_

 _...Many. Perhaps that's why Kei likes his parents most._

* * *

 _It's kindergarten. It's always kindergarten when it goes wrong._

 _It's always more profound when it goes wrong in kindergarten. (It stays deep, stays longer. Crawls into the hollows inside your body, wherever it can find and_ ** _slumbers_** _there for an eternity.)_

 _And it goes wrong._

 _So wrong._

 _It goes wrong in an accident. It goes farther than it should have. It should have resolved peacefully._

 _Well. Not really. Kei should have foreseen it. Things like this always go wrong._

 _Things like this never heal whole._

 ** _(...Sora.)_ **

**_(The blue sky winks back.)_ **

* * *

Kei stays with the rest of the class while Kirishima fills Izuku in.

He's quiet. Maybe too quiet. He can feel the worried beams of gazes boring into his curled up frame. He should soothe them. (If only he knew how to...)

"I'm alright," he mumbles, loud enough for the teens to hear. "I'm a bit rattled; I'm sorry for my rudeness, I hope you forgive me."

"Nonsense-" Ashido-san bounces up towards him, seeming more threatening in every joyful hope of her steps. Kei shivers and leans away, trying to get far from this bundle of pure optimism.

She reached him. He gets a one-arm hug out of it.

"From now on I declare you Property of Class 1-A! We are your guardians and no Villain will ever get through our thick wall!"

Her black sclera shines in the fluorescent hospital lights. Her usual pink get-up has lost some of its unique shine, dulling the contrast of her clothing.

Kei gives a weak smile -grimace- and turns his head away from the crazy aunt.

"Uh," he grunts. Her grin widens. He kind of feels like he's under x-ray.

"Oi, Ashido, give some space to the guy." It's Uncle Hanta now, with his bland, full-teeth… _mouth stretching_ (Something in Kei hurts when he attempts to admit it's a smile.) and he reaches out to her to cover her pink self from Kei's eyes.

"Hey," he greets him, holding a welcoming hand up. Kei automatically scrambles to shake it. "I'm Sero Hanta- I'm from Bakugou's group! Man, this is so weird. I kinda wonder how Bakugou would be like as a dad." He fakes a shiver and shakes his limbs. "Ah. Now that I imagine, I don't want to know."

"Katsuki is a perfectly wonderful father," Kei lectures with all his heart in it, donning a stern expression against his happy-go-lucky uncle. "He cooks the best meals and he helps with my homework and he's an awesome Hero. I'm not going to stand anyone disrespecting him in anyway!"

"Woah, you really love him, huh?" Hanta-san grins. "Bakugou's gonna like this-"

"It's _Me Time_! Me Time! I haven't decided yet but I think I'm going to change my Hero Name, what's it?!"

Kei stares at Pikachu-san holding that familiar pose, reminiscent of his Instagram profile picture.

He figures it can't hurt to reveal just a bit.

"Sorry, still Chargebolt. Katsuki said you tried to switch it to Pikachu but the Copyright didn't permit that. I feel you."

Kaminari's jaw falls to his collarbone, gawking at Kei. He tries to find the words to speak but falls short.

"That's…" He pauses. "That's so freaking cool. I'm so freaking cool! Oh my God, Do you think Bakugou keeps his," he asks the others around, animated in his expressions. "Can you imagine?!"

"Eh." Kei didn't expect this much enthusiasm over such a trivial tidbit. Why was that so important to ask? "I think he played around with Ground Zero for a while, then changed it to Kacchan? I'm not sure about the speci-"

"Oh my GOOOOOOOD-!"

"I know RIGHTTT-?!"

"Oh God- YOU TWO CUT IT OUT!"

"Silence, I ask of you," Kage-san grumbles. The sound reverberates a bit inside the cavity of his large beak before release. It was a rare opportunity for Kei, since he couldn't see Kage-san for most of the time, who worked so diligently at Hawks' agency.

"Ah, just," he says, wincing as everyone's attention returns to him. "I'm… I'm really happy to see you all. Seriously. It'd been a while since we had a… family vacation."

He tentatively eyes the students, blanching in mild panic as he realizes some of them have tears gathering at the rims of their eyes.

"I- I…" Mina sniffs, grabbing Kaminari and hugging him. He doesn't say anything, just hugs back. "I'm so moved! We're family! Oh my God!"

Kei watches the emotional bonding between two human disasters. He understands, at that moment, that he's looking at two stupid insecure friends. Friends of his father's. (Fathers'?)

"Of course you're part of the family, oh God - why would it be any other way?!"

"I wasn't sure! When it's emotions Baku's like a brick wall!"

That… Kei is 100% sure is absolute _bullshit_ , but he doesn't get to say it, because Kirishima enters the room somber and thoughtful.

"Oh," Kei intones, taken aback. "Hey, how did it go? Uh - are you alright, Kirishima-san?"

"Ah, hey, just-" He makes a frustrated sort of sound, lowering his gaze to the ground. The other students quieten around them.

"...I'm worried."

Kei swallows, eyes darting around in discomfort. He doesn't know how to placate, how to diffuse tension. It's usually Izuku who does that.

(Occasionally, even Katsuki.

Kei is just shit at these. He never says the right words.)

What could he say to alleviate the class' worries? He knows nothing of what's going on.

"I," he says, unsure if he should talk at all. He feels the need to. "I have nothing to say that can soothe your nerves," he finishes; a little lamely, a little pathetically. God, he's a real caveman.

"Oh, nah. I know. You have your own stuff to deal with too," Kirishima says, rubbing the back of his neck. He pauses for a little while, just staring into the distance. Then sighs.

"Look-" He's addressing him. Kei listens diligently. "I know that this all looks unfair. Trust me, it _really_ is; the thing is, with you here, we're in a tough spot. I didn't mean any offense..! Just… Aizawa-sensei told us to protect you! How can we do that if you come with?"

"Let me linger," Kei begs, desperate. He wills away the urge to grab a hold of his uncle's shoulders. "Please! I won't engage in combat at all. I'm not a Hero trainee, I wouldn't know what to do anyway. I only want to ensure he _does_ get rescued…"

Kirishima appears like he's going to stand by his decision, but - he wavers, then the fight leaves him.

Kei releases a breath. It feels like relief. It feels like freedom. It feels chilly.

* * *

 _Kei only sees his face from a History textbook._

 _It's a vague-shaped helmet covering the man from head to collarbone._

 _He traces the print with his thumb._

 _' The League of Villains was disbanded after the alleged prodigy of their leader disappeared. It was considered one of the greatest threats against the Hero system and our society, injuring All Might and kidnapping a student from UA. Both have been saved, and the League's attempts at full-on frontal assault were avoided efficiently. '_

 _His finger stops right there._

 _'Ah,' he bitterly muses. 'There you are.'_

 _' All for One, Leader of League of Villains_

 _Birth: (?)_

 _Death: June 20th, XXXX '_


	6. hit me baby one more time

As Momo-san produces some extra accessories, Kei makes conversation with Izuku, Shouto-san, and Kirishima-san.

And since the topic is available, it comes to family matters.

"I'm an only kid," Kirishima says, trying on a pair of… antlers? "I think I would have appreciated a sibling or something, but right now I'm very comfortable by myself."

Izuku doesn't quite agree. "Mom works late, sometimes," he says, a bit hesitant. "The house isn't big but it feels lonely when there's no one but me."

Kirishima makes an understanding noise.

"I get you, that kind of sucks."

Kei knew Shouto's family was… complicated.

"Everyone knows I hate Endeavour," he offers, and they nod wholeheartedly.

The three turn to Kei. Kirishima asks, "How 'bout you, Kei? Have any siblings? Cousins or such?"

* * *

 _He stares perplexed at the small bundle laying on her lap._

 _"Kei-chan," Ochako beckons closer. "This is Sora! She can be your little sister!"_

 _The baby is a wrinkled, wet, squishy thing. She has a red sheen covering her whole form, eyes shut tight and wailing loudly._

 _Is this how babies are made? She looks ugly, why would someone want to have an ugly thing like this?_

 _"But she's icky," he complains to her. He can feel Daddy and Papa at the back, trying to laugh quietly. "Why she's gotta be my sister?"_

 _Ochako huffs, amused. "Be kind to her, Kei-chan," she admonishes. "She just got born! You can't judge her right now. Besides,_ ** _all_** _babies are disgusting when they first arrive. They grow up, then they become adorable!"_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah. You'll see. Meanwhile, you can be her big brother!"_

* * *

 _So he does._

 _It's not as hard as he had thought it would be. Sora is a smiling baby; her joy is infectious, she makes it easy to care for her. Before long Kei is happily attached to the newest addition to his big family._

 _It makes it easy to fear for her too._

 _Sora becomes mobile quickly, crawling everywhere she can reach in a few months. After they celebrate her first birthday, she completes the process and walks around._

 _Kei is pretty content with her. He likes sleeping next to her during their afternoon naps, laying a light arm on her. He falls asleep warm and peaceful._

 _Then she starts babbling. It's funny to watch. She moves her lips, imitating the others, but what comes out is just nonsensical baby-talk. She gets angry when they all crowd around her and spectate. Kei thinks she's just mad because their faces aren't lighting up in recognition of the words she's trying to say._

 _He can empathise._

* * *

 _Sora gets her Quirk too._

 _In true Iida family-fashion, she receives the exhaust pipes most of them have._

 _But only during the application they realize what they're actually for._

 _She zips into the sky in a mix of mist fumes and wind. The Iidas panic and Aunt Ochako jumps into the air to get her._

 _'I'm so happy,' Kei can remember thinking to himself. 'Maybe she can carry me there, when she's bigger!'_

* * *

 _So, it goes like this._

 _It starts with a righteous defense._

 _"We're the best Heroes, because our parents are_ ** _really_** _Heroes!" They were arguing over something stupid, about who got the Villain and Hero roles in their game. It was recess when the dispute broke out. "Kei-chan and me can do it_ ** _so_** _much better!"_

 _"Oh yeah?" Then the dreaded challenge came._

 ** _"Prove it."_ **

* * *

_They do._

 _(Or do they? Kei feels he has lost. He lost so much._

 _And of all questions he feared to ask himself, it was the one that stayed in the forefront of his mind.)_

 ** _(Was it worth it?)_ **

* * *

_Sora and Kei sneak out during lunch hours to find someone to defeat._

 _Sora suggests they go look for Villains at the alley near the park. Kei is frightened and trembling, but Sora is the smartest kid he's ever seen. If there is anyone who can beat a Villain in kindergarten it's her._

 _(And it would be so uncool to chicken out when he's the older one._ ** _He's_ **_supposed to be the big brother! Not her.)_

 _They go prepare an ambush in the heap of crates stacked near the garbage bins._

 _Then someone comes._

 _Kei glances around the corner of the wooden soda boxes. Two men, one facing them with a horrified face. The other has his back to them, but his posture stands intimidating and tense._

 _He can feel Sora's hair rubbing against his head as she reaches over his head to see._

 _"It's our chance, Kei-chan," she whispers to him, silent as a breeze. "Just follow my lead! We'll save that man, and then we'll be Heroes!"_

 _"Sora," he tries to dissuade her, but she's already moving. Swift as a bullet, the impact of the hit would be enough to topple him over and give the man an opportunity to escape._

 _But while fast, she's not so silent with her motors. The mugger turns around just in time, and before Kei could shout, he swings a glinting knife at her, as if in reflex._

 _It all happens in a matter of moments. Kei is frozen, blood chilled in his veins, breathing shallow. He looks at Sora's fallen body, so small and vulnerable with the puddle spreading beneath her. The assailant stares, dumbfounded; his eyes flit around like crazy trying to get away from what he's just done. He sees the exit of the alley and darts away, leaving the other man._

 _The guy whips out a phone, calling the ambulance probably. However, Kei is still crouching behind the crates, afraid and shocked._

 ** _Sora…? Won't you stand up? We gotta go back, come on-_ **

_Blood still sprays out of her._

 ** _Sora?_ **

_Her pipes drenched metallic red in the fluid._

 ** _Hey._ **

_She'll be fine, right? It couldn't have been such a bad cut, surely?_

 ** _I should have punched that guy. I should have BURNT him-_ **

_He can't move, he can't make a twitch. All he can do it kneel there, silent, unresponsive, waiting for some help._

 ** _Why can't I breathe?_ **

* * *

_She's pronounced dead in the next hour. Kei doesn't see Aunt Ochako or Uncle Tenya for the next several months._

* * *

 _The others try to help him as much as they can.. His fathers are around him almost all-day, all the time. He has stopped going to the kindergarten and Papa has taken time off Hero work to take care of him._

 _At some point, they hire a therapist._

 _Kei can't help it. He just wants to sleep, day and night. When you sleep, you can get away and hide. You don't have to feel anything._

 _Kei feels many things._

* * *

 _In the end, he figures it had been his fault. The realization dives on him like freezing cold wave, and he stills in the onslaught of the shame and guilt._

 ** _Me._ **

**_It was me._ **

**_I couldn't move._ **

_In the end, the last admission wrecks him more than any other thought he had cooked up._

 _The fork falls from his hand with a sharp clatter and tears start sliding down his cheeks. A low sob follows them, and Kei finds himself burying his eyes into his palms. Katsuki and Izuku come and embrace him simultaneously, so he finds himself crying over his shortcoming at the dinner table._

 ** _She said 'follow my lead', and I didn't. I couldn't move._ **

**_I couldn't move._ **

_It echoes in his head for long years to come._

* * *

"Oh," he says. "No. I've never had any siblings." He shakes his head to accompany his statement, disguising his attempts at waving away the agonizing memories. He's perfected this neutral expression over a long time.

"Really? I thought Bakugou would have been the type to have a pack, you know? He doesn't seem like he appreciates being lonely."

"He doesn't," Kei confirms. "But we have you all, so we're a very big family. Mom couldn't have anymore babies anyway. And after they saw how hard it was to raise a second kid while juggling Hero work, my parents decided one was enough."

Well, by saying 'mom', he isn't exactly lying. Momo-san _is_ actually the one who delivered him, despite the difference in the DNA. They had had to find a reliable surrogate.

"Here, Kirishima-san, Midoriya-san, Todoroki-san! Wear these-" Momo-san dumps a collection of shimmering trinkets in their arms. They both move to equip them as Momo turns towards Kei with an eerie look.

"Bakugou-san," she says. "I'm sorry for this, but for the balance of our group's image, I need to apply some make-up on you, if that is no trouble?"

It… floors him a bit.

"Ah." He blinks as if to make sense of his feelings. "...Okay?"

Momo chuckles nervously. "I think I worded it slightly misleading. I meant as in I'm going to turn your countenance into a more effeminate complexion. Do you consent? It would help us tremendously in blending in."

Well, seems he understood just right.

"Go ahead."

She gets to work. Some moisturizer, and… Was it called a prime? Kei couldn't remember. Then- oh. He knows this one, it's concealer. She applies some and rubs it into the skin. Momo-san rummages through her purse and whips out a wide, thick brush. Dusting his face in powder, she asks about his experience with make-up.

He manages to hum out a negative reply, with the brush still moving around on his face. She continues regardless.

"Please keep your eyes closed, Bakugou-san."

He goes with it, holding them shut while displaying his whole outer eyelids. Momo-san rubs something into the fragile skin.

"Would you like green eyeshadow? Gold would also look great with your eyes."

"Hey, Yaomomo," Kirishima calls from a bit to the right. "Make it gold! More glittery the better!"

"Ah! Is that alright with you, Bakugou-san?"

Kei likes both colors. But he thinks too much green might be a bit of an overkill with his eyes.

"Go for it."

Momo nods, getting back to it. The feel of the brush running back and forth on his eyes tickles him, forcing a light laugh out of him.

"There. You can open your eyes!"

He does. It feels weird having a layer of products on his face. He sighs, thinking he'll most likely get used to it.

"How does it look?" he asks the others. Momo-san grins at him, enthusiastic,

"You look very aesthetically pleasing to the eye! The disguise is perfect!"

"Oh, you look very pretty, man! Very - uh - what Yaomomo said. It looks good on you!"

"You look nice," comes from Todoroki, who shrugs a bit. That's alright. He's sure that was difficult to say.

Kei turns to Izuku who is watching from the sidelines.

"Midoriya-san?" he asks. Izuku jolts and he flushes a little, realizing he had spaced out.

"It looks nice on you, B-Bakugou-kun!" he compliments. Kei knows he's a bit unnerved by calling him by his family name.

"You can call me Kei too, Midoriya-san," he informs him while he keeps track of Momo-san's Quirk at work, creating some extra clothing. "I don't mind."

Izuku just nods, with a cute and determined expression settling on his face.

Momo presents Kei with a variety of feminine clothes. Additionally, she asks him if he would like a shorter skirt. He refuses vehemently, cheeks turning beet red.

He goes a bit further than the rescue squad to change.

He takes off trousers and shoes, shivering as his legs are exposed to the open air. He finds some long stockings, the dark green, knee-length skirt and a… belt. It seems Momo-san has an unusual fashion sense. Still, he can't deny these are beautiful. He fits them on.

Huh. It doesn't actually look half bad. He wiggles out of the sweaty shirt he's been wearing this whole time. Just as he was about to change into it, Mom-san interrupts with a sudden appearance.

"Ah," she coughs and averts her eyes. "I apologize for my invasion of your privacy, Bakugou-san, but I had to deliver these to you!"

In her hands, are a pair of what seems to be gel-filled balls. They… kind of look like...

 _Nope. No way._

" _Oh my God._ "

"Please, Bakugou-san! You look quite feminine, these will only enhance it! Our disguise will be foolproof!"

He takes them with trepidation, flushing all over.

 _Boobs. I'm holding a pair of boobs. Oh my God. Save me._

"How do I-"

"Oh, here." She creates a… Oh God, there goes a bra. "You can stuff them into the bra, Bakugou-san. I made sure to match their sizes!"

 _I'm gonna have boobs. Are these B cup? Oh, what the hell. Man up and attach the breasts, Kei, you coward. These are just… pieces of protein mixed with mostly fat. You can handle some fat. Yeah. Or better yet, it's not even fat - these are just synthetic, inorganic_ ** _gel_ **_. You're holding science-y stuff._

Momo-san has left, so he takes a fresh breath of relief and wears the bra. It's comfortably snug, fitting perfectly around his rib cage. He makes quick work of the gel balls and places them on his chest, in the small cups.

The gel sloshes around a bit, then settles. It's surprisingly pleasant to have, like cushions.

Slipping on the white, button-down shirt, he goes back to the others with his clothes in his arms.

 _Seems Tenya-san has come back from guard duty._

"I apologize, I was caught up observing a suspicious passerby, and so I had to - AAAH!"

He points a confused and startled finger at Kei.

"WHO IS THIS NEWCOMER?!"

"Oh, calm down, man. It's just Kei-chan," Kirishima says, waving away Iida's panicked cries.

"K-K- _Kei-_ ** _chan_ **-"

"Kirishima-kun, I must ask you to stop teasing Iida-san! We must move forward!"

Kei just sighs.

He's just tired. Where's his goddamn iced tea.

* * *

They move through Yokohama's backstreets, as discreetly as possible. Not that - uh - shouting about 'women with big breasts' really does that. Now, he isn't criticizing the technique! Just the delivery.

Though, if Uncle Tenya had said 'big boobies' Kei would have had to commit public suicide.

They arrive at the border of a private-seeming property, filled with orderly but abandoned-looking warehouses.

Kei isn't sure about this. He knows these are, most likely, still in use.

 _But which one, which one…_

"I think it's going to be hard," he mutters, the others around glancing at him. "I know that these are used by the League of Villains, but the history books don't say if it's the fifth warehouse by the gates or the second one closer to the factory."

"They actually teach these?" Kirishima asks, taken aback.

"...Not really."

Uncle Kiri snaps his fingers, "Oh, I see! You're a Hero fanboy?"

" _Please don't say that_."

Kirishima stops in his tracks, as do others. Their faces indicate concern, whether for his tone of voice or Kirishima's stop, Kei doesn't know but he realizes he needs to diffuse the tension.

"I'm sorry," he starts. Fuck, he's been doing that a lot, recently. _Apologizing._ "Just… I'm not - I'm sorry. I overreacted."

His uncle - _God_ bless his soul - tilts his head like a pet and smiles at him, "It's okay, dude. We're all getting closer. It's only logical we're getting antsy too."

* * *

 _"You ready, explodo-boy?" Katsuki challenges, carrying the toddler on his shoulders. Kei squeals happily, arms glued to his father's neck._

 _"Oh?" Katsuki mutters, seeing him unresponsive. "Ain't gonna answer? Fine by me - I can ride this horse without you, cowboy."_

 _"Nooo," little Kei whines, tightening his hold._

 _"You sure?"_

 _"Let's do it together, Daddy!"_

 _"Alright then!"_

 _Izuku watched them at a safe distance under the shade of a tree. Light rays pass through the leaves and fall onto him, making a halo around his head. He makes a cone with his hands in front of his mouth, shouting at them to be careful._

 _"It's alright, Deku!" Katsuki exclaims boisterously, jogging around the greenery in the warm Spring air. He lets Kei down and lets him run away for a while. "Why?"_

 _"Because you are - KEI!"_

 _"WATCH OUT!"_

 _Just as he had been about to fall down the creek from the log bridge, a bright explosion lights up the azure sky._

 _And the forest._

 _Kei is thrown back, body hitting the dry earth ground. He coughs a bit, unfocused and swaying, standing right back up._

 _He sees Izuku part the smoke wall and reach him, Katsuki at his heels. They fret over him. Izuku takes out a first aid kit to treat his scrapes and - ouch._

 _Kei looks down at his arms, noting with sudden fear that they're covered in red welts and swollen skin._

 _"Kei, does it hurt? Is it hurting? It's alright, I'm here, it's all alright. We'll bandage you up and bring you to the hospital. You'll be fine, you'll be fine-"_

 _"Fuck, Deku, your making him worry. Shut your mouth." Katsuki approaches slowly, as if afraid of scaring him._

 _Why? Kei_ ** _loves_ **_Daddy! He would never be afraid of him._

 _Katsuki attempts to rub in the ointment for mild burns, touches featherlight and hesitant._

 _"It was my fault, I'm sorry," he mumbles out when Izuku goes back to their picnic to grab his phone. "I should have been watching. You almost hurt your head because of me."_

 _"No, Daddy," Kei tries to placate him, yet it only manages to make his expression fall more._

 _Katsuki shrugs his worried whimpers away, "Anyway, was that your Quirk, Kei? It looks strong."_

 _Kei just nods._

* * *

 _"It wasn't your fault," Izuku enforces on the way this the hospital. Katsuki doesn't react, still staring dejectedly at the straight road. "I mean it. I should have been watching too."_

 _Katsuki 'tsk's at that, "You're taking the blame again. Stop it, Deku. I shouldn't have distracted you when I let him loose, you were eying him like a hawk up until then."_

 _"He's okay now. He'll be okay."_

 _"I_ ** _know_** _that."_

 _Silence descends into the car's interior. Kei wiggles his tiny toes, not listening much. He prefers it when they whisper, it helps him focus on the sight out of the window._

 _In the end, he feels he has to take care of this heaviness. He turns to his fathers, "I have a Quirk now!"_

 _"Oh!" Izuku lights up, as if just remembering that. He twists around the seatbelt to look at his son, "That's right! What did you get, Kei-chan?"_

 _"_ ** _Explosion_** _Quirk!"_

 _Katsuki whistles in a smug manner._

 _"Well, that's one theory confirmed, at least. Your Quirk is nowhere to be seen," he says to Izuku._

 _"Don't be sure about that, Kacchan. It's much more complicated than just receiving it or not!"_

 _"Sure it is," he throws back, rolling his eyes. "In any case, we'll have to examine it; Kei, you up for some experiments?"_

 _"Experimentssss…!"_

* * *

The warehouse is filled with… _abominations._

"Noumus," Izuku explains them, Todoroki confirming it with a nod. Kei shivers at the sight of them.

"Katsuki isn't here. You _don't_ put your hostage together with your ammunition," he says, gritting his teeth at yet another failure.

Kirishima-san lays on his shoulder, "Don't lose hope, Kei! Now we know where they keep these. I mean, there could be other warehouses with them, but you get the gist!"

Kei inhales a calming breath at his words.

 _He's right._

Katsuki is still within reach.

They just need one clue.

 ** _One clue to find him._ **

* * *

_Navigating through the archives, Kei's breath hitches as he notices the thick files._

 _If he gets caught, he's_ ** _toast_ **_. Dad would have his ass. He'd get fined. Maybe expelled too? It's not skiving if he has permission to skive._

 _He lightly touches it, noting the thin layer of dust that sticks to his fingers._

 _Alright. Time to get down to business._

 _Taking out the dossier, he manages to spot a nifty table nearby._

 _He lowers the files onto it, gingerly holding the cover open. The watermark chills his blood._

 ** _Classified._ **

_'No,' he denies, furiously opening another page._

 ** _Classified._ **

**_Classified._ **

**_Classified._ **

**_Classified._ **

_"God-fucking-_ ** _damn it!_ **_" he yells into the empty library, the yell reverberates throughout the corridors._

 _'Twilight Era,' the title says. 'Rise and Fall of All Might and the League of Villains.'_


	7. ur a mean one mr grIIINCHHH

_Ba-thump!_

 _Ba-thump!_

 _Ba-thump-Ba-thump-Ba-_ ** _thump-_ **

_'Deep breaths, Kei. Remember,'_ he chants to himself. _'_ ** _As I bid farewell, my heart stops, in tenderness I feel. My silent empty body begins to listen to what is real._ **_'_

 _"Kei,"_ Kirishima whispers, heart beating as fast as his, felt through their shared skin, back-to-back. Kirishima tightens the ropes bonding the two together, _"We'll save him, I promise you."_

 _"I know,"_ he whispers back, just as scared. Iida glances in warning from beneath them, paranoia running hot in his veins.

They watch the fight with their skin raised in goosebumps. Each and every attack from the Villains put them on edge, each time the images of Katsuki being swiped burn into their retinas. Uncle Iida might not be fond of Katsuki as much as Izuku or Kirishima, but he cares for his well being just as much.

 _Just a bit, just a bit!_

"Todoroki!" Izuku bellows suddenly as Katsuki inches away. "ICE!"

Shouto obeys without hesitation, presenting them with a fresh slide to the object of their mission. Iida activates Recipro Burst and Izuku dashes forward. Kei and Kirishima hold on, tensing as they shoot like a rocket construct.

 _'We can't reach him as he is,'_ Kei remembers Izuku saying, as they break the sky in half. _'Todoroki will open a way. Iida and I will be the wheels. But Iida's Recipro Burst might not stand the duration of us being airborne - that's where Kei comes in,'_

He imagines Izuku's shaky smile. _'He will give the final boost.'_

 ** _I will give the final boost._ **

Kei tries not to look at the ground in fear of losing sight of the goal. He can't catch an eyeful, not with the Villains chasing them now, not with that _abomination_ fighting All Might, not with-

-Katsuki propelling himself to them with a huge explosion.

Kei tries not to panic as his father approaches, mind as if soup at the sight of something he hadn't actually prepared himself to see.

For all he had talked about, he hadn't actually thought he might meet Katsuki. Not here. Not in this time, certainly not like this.

Kirishima extends his whole arm, reaching as far as he can with the rope tying him to Kei. This jostles him, prompting him to jolt out of his anxious head.

And Katsuki grabs.

Their formation swivels in air, unbalanced as the weight drags them down, down into the fray with the criminals.

Kei trembles and his eyes go wide, realizing what is about to happen. In the previous timeline, this certainly hadn't happened, as far as he knew. They had reached the ground in safety, with all members intact. What had gone wrong?

Kei. _Kei_ has gone wrong. He hadn't been there to burden the squad before. This is his fault. He is the extra kilograms. He is the extra. And they're going to suffer for it.

And just like that, the world sharpens. His senses go blurry, as if in slow motion, and he can see the seconds pass millisecond to millisecond. He lets the saliva collect in his mouth, hearing distant as he disregards his teammates' shouts. When he has an ample amount just under his tongue, he opens his mouth.

He ignites.

The sparkles pop off right in his throat this time, chafing the sensitive lining of his inner tissue. He holds on through the whole Incineration, only because he needs to or they are going to die. The tiny fireworks burn through his epiglottis to the roof of his mouth, and he almost shatters his focus.

It all goes well. His tongue swells uncomfortably, ruining his tongue with the hot taste covering the whole muscle, but he sees enough to see that it worked. The pleasure of making the Villains rage is exquisite. His family is safe.

 _I didn't get them killed. I saved them. We're okay._

He sags into Kirishima's back, eyes shiny with tears. It hurts, he feels like he won't be able to _breathe,_ let alone _mumble._ He had gone and overdid it again.

"Woah," Kirishima yells through the loud wind bludgeoning into them. "That was so cool! Dude, you're like a super-flamethrower! So - hah? Kei?" he ask-shouts concernedly, realizing that he's not gripping the ropes anymore. "Hey! Are you okay?!"

"Bakugou-kun! Kirishima, is he okay?!" Iida asks in alarm.

"WHO THE FUCK IS BAKUGOU-KUN?!" Kei hears as he drifts away in pain and drowsiness, unable to bear the strain. His vision fades into tremulous gray, and he sighs as he lets himself rest. If only for a moment.

* * *

"I don't care what you want, young man," Recovery Girl, who is very much alive and well, chides. Kei bows his head from where he lies in the bed as a late, insufficient apology; but it does little to deter her from lecturing him. "You are going to let that throat rest, or I am going to restrain you! I will hand-feed you cold soup if I have to!"

"Now, now," All Might attempts to placate unsuccessfully. Kei winces with the old man, because he looks as pained as him right now. In his head, he gives his honorary grandfather fifty points from Hufflepuff. "Let's calm down. He went through a lot! There's no need to scold him so much."

"I will scold him as much as he needs to be scolded and not one pint more! He _needs_ this, Toshinori - or he will make many other mistakes like this."

Kei waves at them, able to catch their attention. As he bows at them, smiling with a sheepish air, they fall silent.

"Oh dear," All Might utters, somewhat embarrassed. "I totally forgot you weren't Bakugou-shounen there. You look so much like him!"

"Except the coloring," Recovery Girl chimes in, glancing at them both in exasperation as she returns to her duties. "I will be at the office if you need me. He is cleared to make noise as soon as the clock hits nine. But _not one minute earlier._ Understood?"

Kei shares a look with the elder man, both soundlessly agreeing before nodding. Recovery Girl seems satisfied, so she leaves the infirmary.

Unfortunately, that also leaves them alone together. The quiet atmosphere reigns supreme in the pristine room, without any topics to talk about and any permission to speak in regards to Kei.

"So…" All Might begins awkwardly. "You are Bakugou-shounen's son?"

Kei nods at him as confirmation.

The man sighs after a pause, "I'm not going to go and say I think you two should meet soon, but it's the right thing to do. Bakugou-kun might lash out in his confusion but I don't think you'll take it to heart, will you?" he asks, seeing him shake his head. "No. I didn't think so. You have the most experience with him out of most of us, after all… Ah. I think I'm beginning to ramble a bit here."

The silence returns again, this time much more pressing than before. All Might shuffles around, unable to meet Kei's gaze as the boy steadily stares at him.

Kei doesn't fault him his awkwardness. He feels awkward too, in a much different way.

After the forced coma, he had woken up refreshed, like a morning in a bright June day. Even so, throughout the hours he has been awake, all he could think of was the events of yesterday.

 ** _And listen to my song._ **

He shakes his head to clear the thoughts that fill his mind, ushering them away like tiny pests. He will deal with them later, when he has someone he can talk about these with.

For now, the most urgent issue is Katsuki.

Kei almost misses as All Might sneaks out of the infirmary, hard to manage since even with the bulge of his muscles gone, he's still so damn _tall._ It nearly pisses him off. Someone that skinny shouldn't be that tall. It's like the universe is mocking his little body.

And, as he remembers the escapades of last night, he can't help but marvel at himself. Maybe he had accepted Momo-san's proposal because of sleep deprivation.

 _'I can't believe I wore boobs last night. The skirt was kind of cool though. But I'm not applying mascara ever again. No way.'_

Shallow knocks rattle the door, and Kei flinches as the sound surprises him.

Well, it had been stupid to think he wouldn't get any visitors today. If he hadn't been a… _time traveler_ , maybe. But not this time.

The knob turns, and the opening reveals Aizawa-ojii-san. Kei grimaces in spite of his affection for the man. He doesn't trust him ever since he assigned _babysitters_ for Kei.

"You," Aizawa begins, nostrils widening like an overgrown bull. Kei seriously fears for his life. "Are an absolute _moron._ What the hell were you thinking?! I leave you alone with a class full of _teenagers,_ and you decide to tag along for a rescue operation?"

Kei keeps his head low, blanching unhelpfully.

He had never been good with yelling when people did it to _him._ Also, it's not like he can _talk._

 _I couldn't stay away when I could have done something,_ he runs over and over in his thoughts. Perhaps, if he repeated it enough, Aizawa would get it through Quirkless telepathy and into his thick skull. Kei is tired of this. _I needed to help. I couldn't… I couldn't stay put! How do you expect me to stand aside while there's someone in danger? While_ ** _Katsuki_** _was in danger?! I could never forgive myself if something had happened and I hadn't been there!_

Except… he hadn't been all that useful, had he? He had known that, himself. Yet, he hadn't wanted to believe it; to fathom that he really had done nothing at all.

 _'The worst thing about being in the past,'_ he muses bitterly. _'Is realizing that you have no effect on it.'_

Aizawa, seating himself onto the bedside chair, ran a bony hand through his wild mane of hair. Kei notices that his eye bags seem deeper, his voice is raspier, and apparently he had consumed more than the recommended amount of caffeine.

Kei frowns at him, gesturing to his eyebags and making a drinking pantomime. Aizawa gets it, thankfully.

"I had to stay up late," he explains, milder now. "The media circus was appalling. Had we failed, our reputation would have been in shambles, unable to recover ever again. I suppose… I should give credit when it's due. Congratulations," he addresses Kei. "You saved Bakugou Katsuki and, according to a few other accounts, the three rescue squad members' lives."

Kei gazes at him, long and hard. He's admittedly having some trouble computing such a contradiction. Aizawa had scolded him, but he had also praised him? For the same action? He wishes he had his voice so he could say, "What the fuck did you smoke, Eraserhead?"

Instead, he bows as much as he can while lying on a bed, the thick blanket covering him from toe to chest.

Aizawa seems to get what he means, and nods his head in return, "I will leave you to your rest now. While we're on the topic-"

The door is knocked again, hard and quick. Aizawa sighs as Kei glances at him in curiosity.

"Your 'welcome back' celebration," he explains, making Kei's eyes grow wide in mortification. "You have a way with people, it seems. They're fond of you. Good luck."

He stands without much ado and Kei panics. He doesn't know what to do with a party! Ojii-san can't leave him like this!

"By the way." Aizawa stops, as if it had just come to his mind. "Wait here after you're released. I need to bring you to your room in the dorms."

 _D - Dorms?!_

But… That was right. Kei was, most likely, here to stay.

 _'God fucking - damn it.'_

The door slams open, hitting the wall with a thud.

"Kei!" Kirishima heralds the arrival of Class 1- A. Behind him, he can see a whole gaggle of teenagers just waiting to come in and fill the room with their loud chattering.

 _'Nope,'_ Kei refuses but to no avail. He can't speak. He wonders if this would count as harassment if he filed a suit.

"Dude, good morning! We were so worried - you should have seen the news! Uh, but you probably already do, huh?"

Kei cocks his head, watching the students trickle in. Kirishima captures the bedside seat like a possessive cat, settling almost immediately. Sato-san places a slice of cake on the small table and the rescue squad circles his bed. Kei tries not to react negatively when Izuku catches his eyes and smiles, so he returns the expression.

"I mean, like, _All Might,_ ya know?" Kirishima clarifies, making the whole class turn a bit somber.

Kei himself knows the waves this event creates intimately. Despite the more detailed information being classified and hidden, he had looked for it like a stubborn mule. But all he got was this common knowledge.

So he nods.

"I thought so."

The silence bothers him less than he thought he would. The students begin trading theories back and forth, each one more ridiculous than the last; Kei has to force himself to bury the urge to guffaw.

"No way," Pikachu denies, hand on hip like a sassy drag queen. "I bet All Might was so distracted by some sexy Villains that he became a skeleton because of _dehydration."_

" _What?"_

"From the _thirst,_ bruh. He dried up!"

That wins him the _Best All Might Conspiracy Theory_ and throws the whole class into a pit of laughter.

* * *

 _"Hey, come on, little dude!" Pikachu coos at him, eyes starry. He turns to Mom, "I've always liked kids! Man, I wish I had gotten one!"_

 _"Ah," Momo begins warily. "Might not be for the best."_

 _That makes both of them laugh, confusing Kei._

 _"Any problems with him?"_

 _"No, nothing at all! I was taken aback. To be honest, I hadn't seen him for a long while. So it came as a pleasant surprise to see he's not as fussy as most children."_

 _"Must be quiet at the house when babysitting, huh?"_

 _"That's right."_

 _Pikachu fumbled with his visor, idle in his boredom._

 _"Do you… think I'd be a good dad?" he asks her._

 _Momo tilts her head, "Of course. What brought this on?"_

 _"Oh - you know. The usual." Pikachu shrugs, staring at the bustling street. "I think I'm getting middle-age crisis. It seems strange, at this age, but I think I'd like one for myself."_

 _"A middle-age crisis?"_

 _"A kid."_

 _"Oh." Mom adjusts Kei in her lap and the boy whines, albeit quietly. "That's your call, I believe. Kei is an absolute sweetheart, but every baby is unique. Are you going to bring them up yourself?"_

 _"Yeah; I mean, I don't have a spouse or anything. Might as well get one with my single dad charm, right?"_

 _They share a chuckle, sipping their smoothies with the bendy straws._

 _"I think," Momo says with a finality in her voice. "If you think you would_ ** _love_ **_to have one, you should. Katsuki and Izuku are… not your usual couple. Not many manage a child while in the Hero industry. But I have faith you can do it."_

 _"You're too kind, Yaomomo… Don't you think you're overestimating me?"_

* * *

 _'Not at all,'_ Kei muses, watching him entertain a whole class of teenagers single handedly. _'You'd be brilliant.'_

"I think we should let Bakugou-kun rest," Tenya-san suggests, straightening his blazer. Turning to Kei, "What time are you going to be discharged, if I may ask?"

He ponders a bit on how he can say anything, then a light bulb lights up.

He points his right index finger up, then crosses his left index and middle fingers, holding them together.

"Oh! Roman Numerals. That is clever. Let's see, nine? It is nearly fifteen minutes away!"

"Chill, Iida; we can help him have fun until then!"

" _Hhh… Hggghh - hey,"_ Kei rasps, voice reminiscent of a zombie. He doesn't even want to know how he looks.

 _Probably like shit._

" _Quieter,"_

"Oh, man-" Kirishima winces at that statement. "Sorry. We got a little excited. You cool?"

" _Yes."_

"You probably shouldn't attempt using your vocal chords so early, if you sound like _that_ ," Momo-san warns lightly. Shouto shrugs for him, saying Kei is going to do what he wants no matter what anyone says.

Kei doesn't need to think hard to know what he's talking about. Despite the majority of the squad's wishes, he had helped in the operation. That must have left a terrible first impression.

He bows to them, apologetic. That flusters them and he has some fun watching them try to excuse him.

"Bakugou."

Kei turns to the infirmary door. Aizawa has come back to collect him, it seems.

"You've been discharged. After Recovery Girl's checkup, we're going to the dorms." He sets his unmerciful gaze onto his students. They scramble to comply with his unvoiced _request._ "Bakugou. _Checkup._ Stand."

* * *

 _"You're a_ ** _mean_ **_one!" Kei sings at the bully. He's so loud that he's sure even the principal can hear from his office. "You really are a_ ** _heeeeeeel_ **_…!"_

 _As the bully moves to run at him, "You're as cuddly as a_ ** _cactus -_** _you're charming as an_ ** _eeeeel_ **_…! Mr._ ** _GRINCH!"_ **

_That's apparently the cue for the punch he gets. He falls to the playground ground, cheek blistering. Even so, he's having a lot of fun making fun of that jerk. He continues singing at him._

 _"Friends - you have none! I wouldn't_ ** _touch_** _you with thirty nine and a half foot_ ** _pooooole…!"_ **

_The bully keeps kicking his back, bruising him badly; but Kei keeps singing, singing,_ ** _singing._ **

_"You've got garlic in your_ ** _soouuuul..!"_ **

_"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!"_

* * *

 _"Kei-chan, I'm disappointed in you," the teacher admonishes. Kei isn't listening to her. "You shouldn't provoke your friends like that!"_

 _"But-"_

 _"There's no_ ** _but._** _You're on timeout, out of the ground's border!"_

 _While heading to the punishment area, Kei passes by the bully's group. Seeing an opportunity, he sings as quietly as he can manage, "Who's this mean fellow, with skin all_ ** _green_** _and his teeth all_ ** _yellow?"_ **

_It makes the bully jump on him, the two wrestling like wild dogs. The teacher loses her marbles, screaming at them to stop. In the end of the day, parents are called to the school._

* * *

 _"What the_ ** _fuck_** _happened to my son?!" Daddy yells at the principal, gesturing to Kei's… everything. "I get a call about my son 'provoking kids' and you show me his fucking_ ** _battered_** _body? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU KIDDING!"_

 _"Bakugou-san," the staff all try to placate, all for naught. Daddy will shout at them until they did whatever he wants! "Please calm down, we know what this looks like but-"_

 _"BUT WHAT?!"_

 _"Tell me what he did to_ ** _provoke_** _them," Papa interrupts Daddy's tirade. He sits on the chair, as opposed to his husband. But he looks as mad as him, clenching his fists where they lie on his lap. "_ ** _Please_ **_, don't leave any dirty detail out."_

 _"I sang the 'Mr. Grinch' at the school bully," Kei tells gleefully. "He got a lot of angry, then he came and beat me!"_

 _"_ ** _Oh?"_** _Daddy and Papa both intone, turning to the perspiring teacher with mutually murderous intentions._

 _"Sirs, I assure you-"_

 _"Suck it, you can_ ** _assure_ **_your lawyer when we sue your fucking ass-"_

 _"_ ** _Kacchan."_ **

_"The fuck, Deku?!"_

 _Papa grabs Daddy's forearm, halting his violent movements, "Let's go back home. We'll draw Kei out of enrollment."_

 _"Wha- Midoriya-san, there's no need to be that rash! I'm sure we can do something about this issue, if you don't make any hurried decisions."_

 _"Save it," he cuts off, scaring the old man. "Kei doesn't have anything but bad memories about this place. If anything, we'll be doing him good; so, if you'll excuse me, I have a son and a husband to look after._ ** _Good day."_ **

* * *

_"Deku-"_

 _"You were right, Kacchan. Let's fuck them up"_

 _"Papa, I wanna listen to 'Mr. Grinch' at home."_

 _"Of course, sweetie."_

* * *

"This is your new home, I guess."

The car door shuts with a firm sound, making Kei flinch.

The dormitories are rather… extravagant in their modern style. UA is one frivolous school, for sure. Kei takes a few hesitant steps towards the entrance, glancing back at Aizawa-san's half-amused expression. Huffing, he continues through the doorway.

Aizawa accompanies him to the elevator, Pressing three. The wait is uncomfortable.

On habit, Kei start humming 'Mr. Grinch.'

"What's that?"

"Some song I remembered."

The silence returns, the melodies from Kei's healed vocal chords filling the wide cubicle.

"Your room is next to Bakugou's," Aizawa mentions. It's such a casual statement that Kei almost misses it. He chokes on his humming.

"... **_What?"_ **


End file.
